From the moment we arrived, we knew we were going to have an adventure but didn’t expect it to be as magical as it was. Being able to gather up the troops and experience someplace new together made it a trip for the books. And after nearly three flights, nine+ hours in layovers, and what felt like an eternity, we finally arrived in New Zealand. When our soles finally hit the soil, we had a warm welcome from one of our best friends and hopped in the infamous ‘Juicy Lucy’—our home for the next few days.

Once we packed our bags in the van, we got to start our two-week-long journey, with the first stop being Hobbiton--a bucket list item for every Lord of the Rings fan. Although I’ve never seen the movie, there’s no way to not feel the urge to watch it after seeing such a magical place.

During the tour, they shared secrets regarding the film set, such as how it took several months to prepare the hobbit homes, the cast had to be shorter than usual, and the New Zealand Army was protecting the land.

Nevertheless, our Hobbiton journey was coming to an end, but before sending us all on our way, we got to experience a drink from the Hobbit “Southfarthing” Range, which made it all a great start to our journey.

We then got back in our ‘Juicy Lucy’ and hit the road, with a few stops on the way…

& after we explored a bit and ate our fish and chips on the beach, which was one a moment of pure bliss, everything finally set in—we all took time away from work and left everything behind for the time being to enjoy life and experience a new place with the best company.

night one: ✓ Day two adventures begin…